Please, I only want to make the world a better place
by zman123
Summary: After the events of Rebellion, a furious Sayaka with her memories still intact, confronts Homura fully intending to kill her for her crimes. It is here that the genuinely well intentioned Homura must explain why even if she is a demon now, her intentions are completely for the greater good of not just herself, but Madoka, Sayaka and the others too.
1. I only want to make the world better

**Please, I only want to make the world a better place. **

"Perhaps we will one day become enemies" the dark-haired glasses-toting bookworm with two braids remorsefully sighed as she respectfully began to take her leave of her confused pink haired friend, Madoka. "Though hopefully that won't be for a long, long time."

"What do you mean, Homura?" Madoka asked as her newest companion she had just met on her first day of school, passed her like a dark and ominous shadow. How could she be enemies with the nice stranger who had taken such pains to show her around and make her feel so welcome in this new environment? It didn't add up.

"Trust me, Madoka. You don't want to know. Not right now, anyway" Homura replied as she left the room, leaving Madoka unsure of how to feel.

Homura waited until she was out of earshot of her pink haired friend that she had spent so long pursuing, before sincerely muttering to herself with tears in her eyes. "One day I'll tell you everything, Madoka. I promise. When the time is right, I'll make everything clear. But for now, have a nice long rest, free from your burdens as a Magical girl and goddess. You deserve it after all you've been through to get here."

A short haired bluenette watched the bookworm through venomous eyes as she passed the dark hallway, from the doorway of a classroom.

"You monster" she furiously said to herself with balled fists, as she watched her target disappear down a flight of stairs. "You're the one who brought us to this fake universe, and took away Madoka's powers, disrupting the law of cycles. You thought you removed all our memories, but not mine. And its up to me, Sayaka Miki to stop you, Homura Akemi. You're a nutcase if you think you can keep us here." 

…

That very evening, Homura sat on a hill overlooking her city. How easy it would be jump down and end it all. After all, her job was mostly done. Madoka could live a good and fulfilling life as a normal girl. And all the other magical girls were lucky enough to end up here alive and well too.

She had even made it so that there was no way the Incubators could attack them now. While she did feel immense guilt for the fact she had been forced to enslave them even if they were her enemies, it was a tough but necessary measure she was forced to enact to maintain the peace until she figured a better solution out, or until they finally agreed to stop being such power hungry freaks whose only purpose in life was to ruin good friendships over their overwhelming megalomania.

Kyubey could have gotten what he wanted if he had only been a little more patient, and left Madoka and her friends to their own devices. Shame on him, since all this was his fault.

They probably placed all the blame onto her, which was good. All that was needed for them to have a true happy ending now was for someone to take the blame and then disappear, allowing them to bury all and any guilt they may have had.

Yet a small part of Homura told herself that as selfless as that would have been, it would also leave Madoka without her nearest and dearest friend, which even in her amnesiac state would leave her very unhappy. Not to mention the promise she had made that when Madoka had rested a little and was ready for the truth, it would be revealed to her.  
She never planned to keep Madoka's memories hidden forever. She just wanted her friend to be able to have a little bit of real peace, the first she had known since taking on the terrible burden of godhood which neither her nor Homura would wish upon their worst enemies.

Even god rested on Sundays after all. And as much as Homura valued Madoka's selflessness, it was also what prevented that girl from ever taking a rest even when she needed it for her and everyone else's good.

"You're time has come, Homura Akemi." A sharp and boyish voice sounded behind her as she turned around to see an absolutely furious Sayaka staring down at her like a savage predator stared at its hapless prey before readying itself to pounce.  
In her hands was a pistol which she was pointing at Homura with unflinching hands, and one finger on the trigger. Her face was contorted with loathing.

"Give me one reason not to load this entire clip into you." She snarled viciously. "And it better be a damn good reason."

"Wait, Sayaka. I'm your friend." Homura started, somehow sounding more confident than she intended.

"That's not a good reason. After all, no friend of mine would have done half the terrible things you have, Homura. And now, goodbye demon." She raised the gun slightly.

"Put it down, Sayaka. You know you're not going to use it. I know you're not that heartless no matter how tough you try to act. There really is no need for us to fight. I have no intention to harm you. After all, why would I harm one of my best friends in the world who cared for me when the entire world abandoned me and took me for granted?"

"Die monster." Snorted Sayaka, cutting her off, mid-sentence as her hands began to shake slightly as she kept the gun trained on Homura. "You don't belong in this world."

"It was not by my hand that I was once again given flesh. I was called here by… Madoka. Who wishes to pay me tribute" replied Homura calmly, choosing her words carefully.  
It was true. It was Madoka who gave her the chance to create this universe and Madoka who had been the main driving force behind her actions up to this point.

"Tribute? You stole her soul and made her your slave!" Though it made her even angrier, there was something impressive about Homura's defiance even in the face of death and Sayaka could not help but admire it somewhat. "You stole her memories and then tried to steal our memories too. How could anything you're trying to accomplish be anything but pure evil? Answer me that."

"Please. Listen to me." Pleaded Homura, softening her tone slightly so that Sayaka would see her sincerity. "I know it looks bad, but it's not what you think. I'm just taking her memories for a little while. Borrowing them so to speak. It's the only way the poor girl will be able to catch a break. When I tried to get her to take a rest in the previous timelines I've been through, she refused. She kept working herself so hard until she either became a witch, died or the world went bad."

"Wait" Sayaka seemed suddenly surprised as she lowered her gun a tiny fraction. "You're telling me that you've been to other timelines?

"Too many to count as a matter of fact. I've tried so many times to save you all. I tried to warn you that your actions would lead to a very bad conclusion, but did you once listen to me until it was too late? Since you refused to relent when asked nicely, I saw that this time I had to do something different to truly make a change. Stupidity after all, is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results each time." Homura patiently explained, her eyes resembling rainclouds close to bursting.

"But why?" demanded Sayaka, completely ignoring her "You were offered the chance to go to heaven with Madoka where you could be with her forever?"

"If I had let Madoka get closer to me, it would have given the Incubators the opening they needed to take control of her and then the entire galaxy. It would have been us being enslaved rather than them. I had to decline the offer, I just had to. For both our sakes and Madoka's."

"I don't understand you Homura. It seemed like such a good offer."

"Have you not learned by now Sayaka, that if something seems too good to be true, it usually is?  
You became a magical girl because you wanted a shortcut to your wish instead of trying to get it the proper way. And look where that got you."

Sayaka only shook her head. As much as she hated to admit it, Homura had a point.

"Heaven is a place on Earth. Even if I could go to heaven with Madoka, I'd have to leave the rest of you down here in eternal sadness. And that would never sit right with me. I'd never be able to truly enjoy myself, knowing I abandoned you all after you were so nice to me. Not to mention that Madoka wasn clearly not happy where she was. So, for me, this is my heaven, and hopefully yours."

"This is a prison. A trick. A lie. This isn't real."

"Well then what is real? Is the previous reality before I changed it real, simply because it was an earlier version? I didn't create another reality Sayaka, I simply modified this one slightly, changing as few things as possible to try and make everyone happy. Reality has been changed perhaps an infinite number of times before I even showed up, so does that make all of them fake?"

Sayaka made no reply.

"We decide what's real and what's not for each of us. If I tell you something and you don't believe me, then to me it's real and to you it isn't."

A few tears trickled down Homura's cheeks as she convulsed uncontrollably while a genuinely surprised Sayaka watched on.

"Please Sayaka. I only want to make the world a better place. This world was never meant to be a prison or a lie. It was the founding of a new ideal. An ideal to create an ideal world for Madoka, you, the others and myself. At least try to accept its purpose. You've all done so much to help me, so for once, I wanted to do something good for you. That's all."

"We were happy in the previous world where we were magical girls. And you took that away from us." Sayaka bluntly stated, now struggling to keep the gun held up with how tired her hands were getting.

"No you weren't." Homura shook her head as more tears poured from her eyes and sobs began to choke her voice. "I could clearly see in each and every timeline I visited, that none of you were happy. All of you made a wish, and none of you had it granted the way you would have liked it to. The Incubators tricked you all. When are you going to realize that you do not matter to them? But here in this world, you can have your wish granted without backfire. Does that mean nothing to you?"

"What you did was still wrong."

"Maybe it was Sayaka. But if I had done nothing and let Madoka be enslaved by the Incubators, you would have hated me as well. It was a choice between two wrongs at that point, and I chose as best I could, what I took to be the lesser of the two evils. It was either a world run by a group of crazy aliens who have no regard for human life, or a world run by me, your loyal friend who only wants to see you smile for once in your life." 

She was right, of course she was right. Sayaka was beginning to seriously doubt herself. Perhaps she had been a little hasty.

"You think Demons are evil. Why? Because the church told you so? And you should know better than anyone else, that Angels can be just as bad as Demons when they go wrong. A bad deed is a bad deed, no matter who does it. The same can be said of a good deed."  
This final point made by Homura was what finally caused Sayaka to very reluctantly holster her gun.

"You matter to me Sayaka. So does Mami, Kyoko and the new girl. I like all of you, not just Madoka. I know I've not done a very good job showing it while I was chasing Madoka, but I promise this is the truth. If it were not, why do you think I brought you here. Do you think it was by chance I forgot to erase your memories? I knew you'd understand once I explained and that you and you alone would be happier with your memories intact."

"I never thought of it that way" Sayaka admitted a little bashful.

"This world is not perfect, because despite my best efforts, I'm only human. And as humans, we will always be flawed in one way or another. And that's where I need your help. I need you to tell me what this world needs so it can be even better. Because that's what this world is, Sayaka. This is the place where dreams come true."

"You mean that if I decided I wanted ice cream, that…"

Sayaka didn't have the chance to finish her sentence as a bubble gum flavoured triple scoop ice cream cone, the same colour as her hair, materialized in her hands forcing her to fumble for it before it dropped to the ground.

"That's right." Homura nodded. "Anything else for my good friend?"

"Well, a milkshake to eat this ice cream with, would be nice." Sayaka said between licks of her admittedly very tasty ice cream.

"Your wish is my command. Master" Homura teased as a cherry flavoured shake the same colour as Kyoko's hair appeared on the grass beside the already very satisfied Sayaka, complete with container and straw.

"Now that's more like it." Sayaka agreed as she drank the shake while eating the ice cream. "And how do you know my favourite flavours?"

"Madoka told me them. I asked Madoka about what each of you liked the most, so that I would better understand how to appease you when the time came."

"That's sweet." Sayaka had to concede as she continued to gobble away at her ambrosial treats while Homura patiently waited for her to finish.

"So, do you trust me now?" Homura eventually asked once Sayaka was done licking her lips. 

"I still don't like what you did, but I'll let you go this time." Sayaka honestly replied. And before Homura could register what was happening, the blue haired girl leaned forward and embraced the black twin braid haired bookworm in a warm and gentle hug.

"It's been so long. So very long that I've waited for this moment" Homura whispered to herself as new tears, tears of pure joy flooded out of her eyes as the intimate embrace continued.  
"Oh Madoka, when I get to do this with you, it will be even better than this. And this is already the happiest moment in my life. Keep this going Sayaka, don't end it yet."

They kept the hug for what seemed like an eternity, in reality five minutes before Sayaka finally broke the embrace and explained she had to be going back home to her parents.

"And you'd better make sure you keep your word of returning the other's memories to them." Sayaka warned as she backed away, her expression no longer bearing any hostility but now full of genuine admiration and sympathy.

"When the time comes, I will Sayaka. When the time comes, I will." Homura promised as she turned to return home herself with a newfound spring in her step.

Perhaps her and Madoka wouldn't be enemies after all. Perhaps they really could have a good life here. Maybe this world would eventually crumble, but not before they had had some good times here together.

_Thank you everyone for reading. See, my view of Homura is that she was almost completely in the right. She spent the entirety of the movie as a selfless evangelist who was first to realize something was wrong and to try and unravel the truth despite no one supporting her. And in the film, Madoka genuinely told her that she would never be happy in a world where she couldn't be with Homura._

_Homura isn't portrayed as stupid either. A bit crazy after quite honestly going through a lot, but not stupid. She must have had a good reason to refuse Madoka's offer of heaven even if it did mean they could be together.  
Homura probably realized that it seemed to easy. And that when something good in the magic world seems to come so easy, it must be a trap. So, she saw through the ruse and did what she believed was the best action in that situation. _

_She's tried to warn the others nicely in previous timelines, but because of their flaws they never took her warnings seriously. So, she probably realized that the only way she could save them was by doing something different.  
Which is not simply selfless, but clever as well. Every time Homura did something she was told by the others to do, it always ended badly._

_And if the entire point of being a magical girl is to have a wish granted (and you eventually become a witch anyway) why not just live in a universe where you can have your wish granted without being a magical girl? _


	2. Some men want to watch the world burn

**Chapter 2: Some men, just want to watch the world burn.**

Sayaka and Homura met again three days later in the park near their school, on their respective strolls.  
After creating an iced frappe for them both, Homura suggested that the two of them sit somewhere shadier to get out of the hot sun for a while.

They found a stone bench beneath a shady cypress tree, where the two of them sat cross legged facing each other.

"So, how's life been treating you, Sayaka?"

"Well. As strange as this is going to sound coming from me. Pretty good. Having the chance to not fight all the time, and to be able to be my own person for a change is actually pretty cool. I've started building a good relationship with Kyoko. Our first date yesterday went pretty well, all things considered."

"I'm glad to hear that Sayaka. Really, I am."

"It's good to have days like these where not every conversation leads to an argument and then another violent fight. I've gotten so sick of those."

"As have I." 

"And how have you been doing Homura?"

"Not bad Sayaka. Thanks for asking. Me and Madoka have been getting on quite well. She seems to be in a much better mood and I'm thinking about giving some of her memories back soon. But I think she still needs a bit of rest. She's getting very popular in school, and I'm glad."

"Glad!? I'd have thought you'd be jealous with how possessive of her you keep acting."

"I'm not like that Sayaka. If Madoka wants to have other friends except me, that's perfectly alright. I'm just glad I can be one of her friends."

"You mean you're not trying to take Madoka way for yourself?"

"If I wanted that, I wouldn't have brought you into this world Sayaka. I wouldn't have brought the others either. I really just want us all to be happy in this world, all of us."

"But if we're no longer magical girls, then does that mean we'll age?" Sayaka shuddered at the prospect even if at present she was a healthy young teenager.

"I've thought of that, Sayaka." Homura replied with a flourish. "I made it so that we don't age in this world. We can stay young and attractive forever, even if we're no longer magical girls. We will be here to see the next millennium and beyond. To see ships that can sail the stars themselves. Isn't that what you told me you wanted? To live long enough to see people fighting with lightsabres instead of guns?"

"And what about the universe? Don't your changes mean that the universe will end sooner now?"

"Through the many timelines I've been through, I slowly drafted a plan on how if one day I hypothetically was to find myself in the situation where I could control the universe, I would prevent the heat death of the universe by changing the laws of physics themselves. It's what I've done now Sayaka. This universe will not end. It will never end. So, sit back and relax. This really is our unambiguously happy ending. We won't age and neither will the universe."

"You've really thought of everything, haven't you?" Sayaka proudly remarked.

"Well I have had multiple timelines to figure everything out, so, yeah."

"There is just one thing that still ticks me off with your plan though."

"What is it Sayaka?"

Sayaka paused for a moment. She never thought that she would feel any sympathy for the despised enemies who tricked her into making everything bad in her life happen, but the idea of something as terrible as slavery even for them, was horrifying.

"Why did you feel the need to enslave the incubators, Homura? Do you really hate them that much? I mean sure, they did some pretty bad things but was what you did to them necessary? It sounds the slightest bit cruel to me."

Homura thought about it for a moment.

"With all respect, Sayaka, perhaps Kyubey is a man you still don't quite understand."

Sayaka opened her mouth only to shut it upon realising that Homura was about to launch into a long and detailed story of one of her previous timelines. She would do well to hear every word of this if she didn't want the mistakes of the past repeated in this bright and new universe of hope.

"A long time ago (or rather many timelines ago)" explained Homura, never taking her eyes from those of her blue haired friend. "I was in Burma. My friends and I were working for the local government. We were trying to secure the loyalty of tribal leaders by bribing them with precious stones. But the stones were being raided near Rangoon by a bandit. So, we went looking for that bandit, but in six months, we never met anyone who traded with him."

Sayaka's one sentiment this far into the story, what was a four-eyed yandere bookworm doing in a place like Burma? She had to steel herself not to laugh disrespectfully.

"Then one day." Continued Homura. "I saw a child playing with a ruby, the size of a tangerine."

I like tangerines, Sayaka thought to herself. And I never knew someone as unempathetic as you could be good with children. Maybe I underestimated you after all.

"The bandit, had been throwing the stones away, Sayaka." Sayaka's amused grin vanished and was replaced by utter incredulousness as she nearly spat out her frappe.

"So, why steal them?" she managed to ask after a few steadying breaths.

"Well because he thought it was good sport" replied Homura, gesturing with her hands as she spoke to emphasize herself. "Because, some men aren't looking for anything logical like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with."

Homura's face darkened and her gaze seemed to harden to the extent where Sayaka felt she was looking through her and not at her. It was truly terrifying and Sayaka had seen some pretty messed up things in her life already to know what terrifying meant as Homura finished her narration in a deadly serious tone.

"Some men, just want to watch the world burn."

And as Homura finished the one line which consisted of the truest words ever spoken in the history of mankind, magical girls and the first incubators who existed long before either of the two, Sayaka looked upon the dark haired bookworm with a level of respect that would make even the most self-absorbed celebrity in the world blush.

"I'm sorry." Sayaka whispered frailly, as water began to fill her usually desert like eyes like a flood. "I should have trusted you sooner, Homura. You've been through so much just to try and get through to me and my friends, but all we did was throw your kindness back in your face. We thought we knew better, when in reality, we knew nothing while you knew everything."

"It's alright Sayaka." Homura soothed, placing a shaking hand onto her friend's shoulder. "You're only human and so am I."

"I don't know if I can ever thank you properly Homura. But let it be known that from today, I trust you with my life. If Madoka and the others were to turn against you now, know that you will find me on your side. You spent so long protecting us with your life, and now please, allow me to return your heroic selflessness with my own."

Seeing that Sayaka's sobs had still not quite subsided, Homura decided it was time for a little light heartedness.  
"I saw some nicer things in Burma too. I once also saw a ruby playing with a tangerine the size of a child."

She held out her hands as a fresh and fruity tangerine appeared. "Some men just want to watch the world burn, while some men, just want a tangerine."

She gave the tangerine to a now lightly giggling Sayaka who was still dabbing at the last tears in her eyes as she took her favourite fruit which once again Homura had guessed correctly in addition to her favourite smoothie and ice cream flavours.

That girl was a know it all, but a good one. 

The two girls continued to make small talk for a little while longer about the wonderful weather, their plans for the future now that each day was no longer a fight for survival and just basic girl stuff in general that they never had to opportunity to discuss when there was constant conflict afoot.

It was when a cooling breeze began to fan their hair as the sun started to go down just a teeny tiny bit, that with great regret Homura announced that it was time for her to go and attend to some urgent business (running a universe was tough work) but that she looked forward to their next meeting with avid interest.

She politely stood and bowed. "Thank you for taking the time to talk to me today. It really means a lot to me."

She began to turn away.

"Wait Homura. One more thing." Sayaka pleaded, causing her friend to turn her attentive gaze back once more.

"Yes?"

Sayaka frowned as she put a finger to her mouth. She knew what she was about to ask was not exactly a savoury question, but she couldn't just leave the problem as it was either. She would die finding the answer.

"The bandit… in the forest of Burma."

"What about him?"

"Did you catch him?"

"We did…" Homura replied, these questions having the effect of knives on her fragile psyche.

"How?" Sayaka was smacking herself internally for forcing up clearly very painful memories from her guardian but curiosity had ensnared her like a fly in a web. This was the million dollar question that determined everything from her future relationship with Homura, to how she would go on to live her new life and the choices she would make.

Homura took a slow and painful breath as she closed her eyes for a few seconds before slowly opening them. Even without time-warping, she knew this question was coming. And while she had seen enough Sayaka's falling into despair in previous timelines to know Sayaka down to the tiniest detail, she could make no guess at how this was going to go down.

But at least this Sayaka wanted answers rather than continued ignorance. That was a good sign.

She steadied her trembling hands and body and cleared her throat. The next words out of her mouth would be the very words inscribed on her stone if it ever came to that. The words future historians would always ascribe as her signature quote whenever they studied her.

"We burned the forest down."

And before Sayaka could question her further, she took another much shallower bow and took her leave without looking back.

If she had been looking in Sayaka's direction at that second, she would have seen the blue haired girl drop to her knees as her eyes swelled the largest they ever had in her lifetime and her jaw dropped so far, that it hurt.

Homura Akemi wasn't just a hero.

All the lands she had liberated. All the respect she now had under her command.  
She was even mightier than Madoka herself.  
She was the true goddess.

"One of these days, I'll have to visit Burma myself." Sayaka resolutely vowed.

_Originally just a one shot but due to a creative surge, I felt I had to continue it.  
It surprises me how so many animated series have characters who are horrible judges of character.  
Like how in Evangelion, everyone listens to Gendo when he's practically destroying the world with his bad decisions as well as Misato and Asuka even though they are both domestically abusive bullies, but not the much nicer Shinji who does actually want to save the world._

_The leaf village treats Naruto badly even when he's the only nice guy on his team._

_Kyon gets put through a lot of hell even when he has to pick up all of Haruhi's slack for her._

_And the most infamous one for me, Sailor Saturn in Sailor moon gets listed as a target to kill for the other sailors over things she had zero control over while the other Sailors happily waltz into every trap set by the villains._

_In a sense I like Homura a lot because she has traits comparable to Sailor Saturn, Kyon and Shinji.  
She's the one person trying to improve the world who is also the one person getting the most hatred thrown in her direction._

_It's about time the poor girl got some kind of reward or at least validation for her efforts._


End file.
